Winning hospitality tenders relies on a combination of experience and skill — both of which are needed in professional bid writers. At Hudson, we have an 87% success rate which means that we are highly skilled at winning tenders.

Many businesses, regardless of size, find that they simply do not have the time or ability to dedicate resources to train an in-house bid writing team. At Hudson, we have an expert bid team who are well-equipped to take on hospitality tenders.

So, if your business is based in the hospitality sector, we have some top tips for you!

Hospitality Sectors

As you may know, hospitality can be divided up into several sub-sectors. So, if your business falls under one or more of the following, rest assured that this blog is for you!

• Catering services
• Catering equipment
• Event services
• Entertainment
• Laundry services
• School services (school meals)

10 Top Tips for Winning Hospitality Tenders

1. Understand the tender requirements: Always check the details of the tender and ensure that you understand the full scope of the requirements. When responding to a brief, it is important to ensure that you have a full understanding of the scope and the expected response.
2. Research the competition: Always research the competition and familiarise yourself with the existing supply market. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and make sure that you have an edge when responding to the tender.
3. Offer a unique solution: A tender is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique offering, so make sure that this is apparent in your response. Identify any unique advantages that you may have and emphasise how these can add value to the tender.
4. Tailor your response: Always tailor your response to the tender, ensuring that you fully address the requirements. Avoid generic responses and personalise your response to demonstrate how you can add value.
5. Response deadline: Ensure that you submit your response before the deadline to demonstrate your professionalism and commitment. Deadlines are important and if you do not respond on time you risk missing out on the opportunity.
6. Check referrals: Ask for copies of recent references as part of the tender process. Validate the authenticity of theses referrals as part of your due diligence process.
7. Adhere to the instructions: Always follow the instructions provided and provide the information in the specific format asked for. Do not deviate from the structure given as this suggests a lack of understanding and an inability to adhere to instructions.
8. Emphasise compliance: Demonstrate that you can meet all relevant legislation and compliance regulations. Having a solid track record of completing projects and adhering to the law is essential when submitting tenders.
9. Show a clear understanding of the issue: Demonstrate an understanding of the needs of the tender specification in your response. A clear understanding of the issue helps to demonstrate your ability to meet the needs and provide the needed services.
10. Consider costs: Ensure that your tender shows that your services are competitively priced and offer good value for money. Showcase any cost savings, tax breaks, or services that you are able to offer.

Where do I find hospitality tenders?

If you are looking for hospitality tenders that are relevant to your organisation, without wasting time, visit Hospitality Tenders. Hospitality Tenders is our tendering portal where you can find opportunities to grow your business.

Your subscription entitles you to 24/7 access to our online portal. The portal can easily be filtered by keyword, sector, location, and budget to save you and your team valuable time.

You will also receive a daily bulletin, listing all the tenders that we have uploaded each day. This means that you don’t have to log into the portal every day to find new business opportunities – they land straight in your inbox.

As part of your subscription, you are also entitled to 20 minutes of free tendering advice, once a month, via our Hudson Helpline.

How we can help!

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect bid for your business, send it our way. Our Bid Writers can take care of the whole thing for you they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits. 

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents. They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services. 

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it. This is a great way of improving your skills and understanding of how to polish your tender.

Contact us:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Submit the relevant information regarding the work you need, and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration

Alpha

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• Tender Compliance: What does it mean to be non-compliant?
• Legal Services Tenders
• What is a Bid Writer?
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response

The post Win Tenders in the Hospitality Sector: Laundry, Catering and more! appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What is tendering?

The tendering process is where a buyer, in need of goods/services, issues an invitation called a Request for Tender (RFT) to suppliers. Suppliers will then submit a proposal/tender to provide the goods/services. Finally, the supplier will be chosen by the buyer!

Tendering vs bidding?

What’s the difference between tendering and bidding? They’re the same! The term ‘tender’ is most commonly used in the UK, while ‘bid’ is used most readily in the US.

The Tendering Process

• Opportunity advertised by the buyer
• Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) – If a closed tender, a PQQ is issued to identify suitable suppliers, who will then proceed to the ITT stage.
• Invitation to Tender (ITT) – If an open tender, the process begins here for any suppliers.
• Evaluation of Tender Submissions – Once all the tenders have been received, they are evaluated against criteria and how they suit the buyer’s needs.
• Award of Contract – Now that a supplier has been selected, they are awarded the contract and the work can begin!

What’s an RFT?

An RFT (Request for Tender) is released by the buyer to suppliers, outlining their demands and the terms and conditions of the contract. This includes:

• Tender conditions – including how to respond to the tender.
• Tender form – details needed from the supplier in their response.
• Scope – required details from the supplier regarding their goods/services provided.
• Evaluation criteria – how the buyer will evaluate responses.
• Conditions of the contract – details of the legal contract if awarded.

Note: it is vital to follow the buyer’s criteria to a T!

Other tendering methods

The term ‘tender’ can confuse those not familiar with its processes as it is often commonly used to refer to the RFT, Request for Quote (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Information (RFI). However, these terms can also vary in terms of the documents required from the supplier and the outcome of the request. For example, an RFI is simply the process of gathering information from suppliers regarding their goods/services. However, an RFQ is the process of suppliers submitting quotes for their goods/services.

Who can tender?

Anyone! Many different businesses in various sectors, of various sizes tender for opportunities. In short, the public and private sectors, including non-profits, use the tendering process.

Tendering is most common in these industries, though it is not limited to only these:

• Construction
• Healthcare
• Creative
• Consultancy

Tendering is mostly used by:

• Government
• Council
• Education
• NHS
• Non-profits
• Various private-sector businesses

Advantages of tendering!

Tendering can benefit suppliers (vendors) and buyers alike! Here are just a few top benefits of tendering:

Buyers

• Competitive tendering allows the buyer to get the best value for money possible, by selecting the supplier with the most advantageous price.
• Tendering has many stages to ensure the supplier chosen has been sufficiently screened in terms of reliability. This decreases the risk for the buyer!
• Depending on the style of tendering (open vs closed), there is usually a fair and balanced tendering process when selecting a supplier.

Suppliers

• Visibility – making your reputation known to buyers by building a portfolio of successful relationships with other buyers can increase your long-term financial stability.
• Expansion – similar to increasing your visibility, expand your business by developing a portfolio of successful relationships with buyers to expose your business to new opportunities.

Our services include:

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect bid for your business, send it our way. Our Bid Writers can take care of the whole thing for you they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents. They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it. This is a great way of improving your skills and understanding of how to polish your tender.

Contact us:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Submit the relevant information regarding the work you need, and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Our Global Bid Director will manage the bid strategy.

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration

Alpha

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response

The post Tendering: definition and how it works appeared first on Tender Consultants.

First…What is Bid Writing?

Bid writing, also known as tender writing, is the process of creating effective and high-quality content on behalf of a company in order to win a tender/contract or general business opportunity. Typically, bid writers will complete PQQs, ITTs and other aspects of the tender process for the client.

A bid writer is someone responsible for the success of this process.

Expert bid writers must be able to deliver persuasive, well-communicated content to win a tender. Also, they must have knowledge which is transferable across many different industries/sectors.

Our Top 10 Bid Writing Skills

Wondering if you have what it takes to be a bid writer? Here are our top 10 skills you will need!

1. Written Communication

An invaluable skill when wanting to become a bid writer. You must have experience communicating effectively through your writing. It is not simply about writing clearly, or concisely. You must be able to persuade the buyer that your client is the best possible option. You must also be able to write with considerable detail, to demonstrate your client’s skills and evidence of success through case studies. Striking the balance between being concise and detailed is challenging, however, an expert bid writer should be no stranger to this task.

2. Verbal Communication

Similarly, being able to communicate verbally is a valuable skill for a bid writer. The assumption that bid writers only need to be able to communicate through the written word is wholly inaccurate. Bid writers will often liaise with clients on the phone, face-to-face and on video meetings. It is, therefore, important that bid writers can update and query their client using their strong verbal skills. This satisfies the client that their bid writer is easily relied upon, accountable and effective in their planning process.

3. Attention to detail

As aforementioned, a bid writer must have strong attention to detail. This involves both the research and writing process as a bid writer must be able to swiftly pluck relevant information for the tender, write with sufficient detail to persuade the buyer of the client’s suitability and eradicate inconsistencies/errors in their written work.

4. Time management

Having excellent time management skills is crucial to the success of a bid writer. Not only must a bid writer be able to plan effectively, but also meet all internal and external deadlines they have been set at every stage. Failure to meet internal deadlines will result in a rushed tender which will likely not contain enough detail to meet the buyer’s criteria. Failure to meet the final deadline will absolutely result in a failed tender.

Note: It is always a good idea to leave yourself several days spare in your planning process for any internal/external factors that may occur and delay your bid. Submission portals are notoriously unreliable, so never submit at the last minute!

5. Strategic Thinking

The ability to think strategically is a valuable asset to have when becoming a bid writer. Before writing, as part of your planning process, you should already have a bid strategy. This means that when it comes to creating responses to the buyer’s questions, you are prepared to answer in a way that shows your client in the best possible light.

6. IT Software

A good knowledge of various IT software is vital for any bid writer. You will be required to communicate across platforms and have access to tenders as and when they become available. Opportunity tracking platforms are necessary to finding a client new bids. 

7. Research

Bid writers must be able to conduct effective research and collate evidence on behalf of their client in order to develop and provide convincing arguments. They will research the client’s sector extensively to be able to tailor their argument to the client’s cause with confidence and accuracy. Conducting research will be included in their planning process before the actual writing begins.

8. Teamwork

Although bid writers have a great deal of independent responsibility, there is rarely one bid writer working on one tender at a time. A typical bid team will involve:

• Bid management
• Bid administration
• Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
• Bid writers
• Graphic designers

It is crucial for every bid writer to be able to work collaboratively with other bid writers and those involved at every stage of the tender/bid process. Good teamwork also involves strong planning and time management, to keep all those involved held accountable and knowledgeable of the deadlines met and the ones left to meet.

9. Adapt under pressure

Being a bid writer can be stressful. The combination of strict deadlines and the potential for juggling multiple bids can be challenging to the most experienced bid writers. This is why it is vital to be able to adapt under pressure and the key to coping is planning! Keeping on top of things but also knowing when to be flexible when a client changes their mind is vital. Plans change!

10. Independence

While you will work as part of a team as a bid writer, you will be expected to be held accountable for your contributions to the team. It is important that you can prepare, plan and write effectively without prompts from others, as others will also be relying upon you!

Why Be a Bid Writer?

There are several reasons why the career of a bid writer is advantageous. Here’s our top reasons:

• Highly transferable skills

The skills required as a bid writer are skills which are needed/desired in most professions. Strong written and verbal communication skills will always be valued, as will organisational skills. Also, adaptability and coping under pressure are necessary for the ever-changing nature of most businesses in various sectors.

• Work variety

Every bid/tender that a bid writer undertakes will likely be in a different industry than the previous one. Undertaking research on many different sectors is vital to a bid writer’s success. Therefore, work variety is part of the role and can be an exciting prospect if you enjoy researching and writing on a variety of topics.

• Career progression

A bid writer will have great opportunities for career progression within their respective companies. Not only will your skills be transferable, but you can also progress to the role of team leader, senior bid writer or bid manager.

• Highly valued

Bid writers are highly intelligent and hard-working individuals, which makes them attractive prospects to many employers. However, many companies simply do not have the means to employ an in-house bid writer and hire the services of a bid writer outside of their normal operations.

What if My First Bid Is Not Successful?

So, you know the top bid writing skills needed for success…but what happens if your first bid is unsuccessful?

Don’t fret, always ask for feedback from the buyer. All submitted tenders have flaws, unsuccessful or otherwise. Therefore, it is vital that you find weaknesses in your argument and improve. When approaching the feedback stage, ensure you are armed with questions to present to the buyer to achieve the best, most detailed review.

Some questions may concern the following topics:

• Have you hit the relevant deadlines?
• Did you provide all the information needed?
• Did you give enough detail in your responses?
• Was the client’s business eligible for that bid?

Once I’m a Bid Writer…What’s Next? Our 6 Top Tips!

• Read all the documents before you start, including undertaking the relevant research
• Plan and document your process – this will keep you and your team members accountable and in the know about deadlines!
• Proofread your work before submission
• Compliance – follow the buyer’s instructions to a T!
• Relevant case studies
• Strong written and verbal communication – this is the way to stand out against competitors!

Now you know our top bid writing skills, you may require our various tendering services…

Our services include:

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect bid for your business, send it our way. Our Bid Writers can take care of the whole thing for you they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents. They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it. This is a great way of improving your skills and understanding of how to polish your tender.

Contact us:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Simply submit the relevant information regarding the work you need and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Also, the bid strategy will be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration

Alpha

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our own platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid writing consultants
• Submitting a tender response

The post Top 10 Bid Writing Skills appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What is a bid consultant?

A bid consultant, also known as a tender consultant, is a professional who manages your tender submissions on an ongoing basis.

This typically involves:

• Tender writing: One of the major aspects of tender submissions is, of course, tender writing. Bid consultants can work alongside your business to develop high-quality, detailed responses that help you stand out from your competitors. Here at Hudson, we have a team of expert Tender Writers who operate across multiple different sectors and can work alongside your business to create stand-out detailed and technical content.
• Opportunity tracking: Bid consultants can also take the strain of hunting for opportunities off your hands. Bid consultants can work alongside your business to understand every key aspect of your operations and track opportunities that are relevant to you.
• Managing tenders: Bid consultants can help you with managing your tender submissions on an ongoing basis. This involves organising all of your company literature, developing detailed case studies, tracking opportunities, writing responses and assessing strategic growth. Outsourcing this can provide your business with the breathing space to carry on with its normal operations safe in the knowledge that all your tendering endeavours are being looked after by experts.

Why do I need a bid consultant?

We understand how running a business can be relatively time-consuming. You do not necessarily have the time or resources to write winning responses in-house. The tendering process is long and complex and tendering for contracts can be confusing for a beginner.

If this is the case, outsourcing to bid writing experts can help you win your next contract. Here at Hudson Succeed, we pride ourselves on being tender writing experts.

We have over 60 years of collective bid writing experience and hold an 87% success rate. We offer four levels of bid writing support to suit every business need. If you are completely new to tendering or need a response proofread before you submit – we can help!

Do I need a bid consultant for the public sector?

Tendering can often be a difficult and daunting prospect for any business looking to venture into the public sector. With tenders ranging from numerous different scopes and sizes they can also be presented in the following formats:

• PQQs
• ITTs
• RFPs

Tenders can often be in excess of 10,000 words, with multiple documents needing to be attached and sometimes designed.

Standing out from the crowd can be difficult in tendering. Having a bid consultant on hand to guide you through this process can be very beneficial for your business growth.

Managing tender submissions and searching for opportunities whilst handling your business’ daily operations can be difficult. Having a bid consultant to alleviate this stress can be one way to ensure growth when public sector tendering.

What do we do?

As global providers of bid writing consultancy, we provide support across the board!

Hudson promises you two things. Firstly, we will always write to win, maintaining commercial awareness across multiple industries to ensure our clients have the best chance of success. Secondly, we will continue to innovate to meet the changing needs of your business.

We offer four packages:

Tender Writing

Once you have found the perfect contract for your business, send it our way. Our Bid Writers can take care of the whole thing for you, and they will submit it on your behalf. They will let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents. They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it.

What can we bring to the table?

1. Unique writing skills

Bid writing consultants have a unique skill set that is, obviously, tailored to producing successful bids. They know exactly how to convey an organisation’s strengths and use those to answer questions on specifications. Tenders will usually be unsuccessful for those who have not scoured the requirements and detailed how their company is suitable. Bid writing consultants have done this countless times, so they know precisely how to hit those points. Over time, they have developed their craft and understand how to write winning bids. Yet, they can also use their creativity to really make the company stand out. These skills are likely not held by anyone who is not experienced in bid writing.

2. Professional process

Since bid writing consultants are experts in tendering, they will have a professional process. This process allows the bid writers to keep on track with the goal. They can ensure the quality of the documents and that they are completed within the timeframe required. Since they are experts, they understand how important these contracts are. They know that they provide income for your company and help it to expand and grow.

3. Remote work

Another benefit of hiring bid writing consultants is that they are able to work efficiently with you remotely. This means there is far less time spent on travel and meeting times. Therefore, they can be done quicker but still in the most productive manner. This time saved can go towards work on something else! Given recent events, this is also incredibly beneficial as there is no risk of jeopardising anyone’s safety. Being able to quickly and efficiently contact and discuss with your bid writing consultants online is a massive convenience. 

4. Understanding documents

There are many documents bid writing consultants are familiar with. These documents may be more of a task for those with less experience. For example, Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PPQs) and tenders can be confusing and complicated. Bid writing consultants understand exactly how to respond to these. If you do not fully understand what is required, you risk failing to secure contracts and wasting time and resources.

5. Higher chance of success

As you can imagine, bid writing consultants vastly improve your success rate. This can be expected as bid writing consultants have the experience and structured process to write winning bids. They also have the right writing skills to make your company stand out. Knowing you have a strong chance of winning can improve your confidence in bidding for more contracts. It is better to leave it to someone with the desired experience, rather than to a sales team. This is something many businesses do. They may not have the skills or understanding necessary to win contracts. Again, this is a waste of time and resources. 

6. Cost-effective

Tendering takes time and resources, so you want to be sure you have a good chance of success. Otherwise, all that time and those resources go to waste! The chances are your company does not have in-house resources or the time to complete bid responses. Since bid writing consultants do, you will be saving yourself time and money in the long run.

The professional process saves time as you’ll have bid writing consultants writing documents and also proofreading and making adjustments. Whilst they are busy doing this, you and your team can be focused on running your business.

7. Experience

Since most bid writing consultants are highly experienced, they have had the time to learn from previous bids. This is great as it means you don’t have to waste resources doing the same! Bid writing consultants will know exactly how to approach your tender. They will also have enough experience to recognise precisely what the contracting authority is looking for. They can then ensure your company meets the contracting authority’s requirements.

Okay, so I need a bid consultant… Where do I find one?

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Simply submit the relevant information regarding the work you need and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Also, the bid strategy will be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
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Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• What is a Bid Writer?
• Capture and Proposal Management – Top 4 Advantages
• Bid Writing North East
• How Can Small Businesses Win Government Contracts?
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Win More Contracts with a Tender Consultant
• 5 Ways to Win a Procurement Tender
• Bid writing consultants
• Writing bids
• Submitting a tender response

The post How to get a bid consultant? appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Are you ready to learn about capture management? Here at Hudson Succeed, our Bid Writers utilise this process day in, day out. It’s safe to say, it’s an important part of the tendering process!

If you don’t know what it means just yet, then you’re in luck! We sat down with Robyn Crawford, our Senior Bid Writer, to ask some questions about the capture management process. Here’s what she had to say…

What is capture management?   

Capture management gives the client an advantage when they tender for work. Through this process, we capture key information about the buyer, including their objectives and requirements.

We’ll also look at the client’s experience. We extract information from our clients about their organisational experience and any previous or current contracts they’re working on. Once we have this information, we develop three case studies that are specific to the opportunity they’re bidding for.

A key part of capture management is competitor analysis. For example, at Hudson, we support our clients by identifying competitors within their industry. This is helpful, as they’re most likely to be tendering for the same contracts. With this information, we complete a SWOT analysis. We look at the competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

After evaluating the potential competition, we work with our clients to develop at least three win themes and their USPs.

What do you do with this information?

Once we have this information from our clients, we start to develop a written solution. This can involve, but certainly isn’t limited to:

• The end-to-end service they’ll provide
• Supply chain experience
• Skillsets of any key personnel
• Training
• Service delivery
• Benefits
• Risk management
• Quality assurance
• KPIs and performance measures
• Social value
• Innovation.

Alongside this, we also identify and explain any risks that our clients might face if they proceed with the tender. This could be areas that require improvement in order to see success.

Does it have a purpose? 

Capture management is designed to help the client prepare for bid release and enhance the quality of the submission. Ultimately, we want to do everything we can to improve their chances of success.

What are the main benefits of capture management?

First and foremost, capture management will raise the overall win probability. It allows us to enhance the quality of our client’s tender responses, giving them the best chance of success.

However, there are certain benefits that are often overlooked, but they’re just as important for our clients. Capture management allows for clear opportunity clarification. With this process, our clients can assess whether a tender opportunity is right for them. For example, we can use the information gathered during capture management and evaluate it against the tender specifications.

The pressure of working on a live bid reduces by using this process to prepare for the bid. This is because we already have everything in place to produce a high-quality submission.

Not only that, but it provides an opportunity to develop high-level solutions, including supply chains and sub-contract agreements. The extra time is also useful for submitting any questions within the clarification window.

Finally, capture management is a great opportunity to build strong, long-lasting relationships with the client. By learning about their business experience, they can rest assured that we’re fully prepared to produce a winning tender response.  As a result, they’re more likely to trust us with future bidding opportunities.

What is a Capture Manager?

A Capture Manager is the person responsible for the research, analysis and strategy involved in the capture management process. However, this role will look different in every company, and generally depends on the size of the organisation. Some businesses might have a dedicated Capture Manager that works on every project. On the other hand, in some companies, Bid Writers or Bid Managers will be responsible for this process.

Generally, a Capture Manager’s responsibilities could include:

• Researching the tender opportunity
• Researching the contracting authority
• Competitor analysis
• SWOT assessments
• Solution planning
• Risk analysis
• Capture and Bid Team coordination
• Overseeing the bid strategy, pricing and review process
• Creating and executing a capture plan
• Reviewing the final tender proposal.

When should capture management start?

Ideally, capture management will start as soon as the client identifies an opportunity they’d like to go for. It’s important for making the bid or no-bid decision and can streamline the entire tendering process.

Capture management is a long and detailed process and should be used for complex and must-win opportunities. It’s particularly common for government and public sector contracts.

That being said, capture management is still a useful tool for smaller, routine tendering opportunities. Generally, for these contracts, we can adopt an abbreviated capture management process, if that’s what the client requires. However, we spend as much or as little time on the process as is necessary to increase the client’s chances of success.

It’s recommended to start the process as early as possible, as this gives the client the best chance of winning. Starting the process too late could mean there isn’t enough time to capture all the necessary information. So, wherever possible, it’s important to get ahead.

What steps are involved in the capture management process?

Generally, the capture management process can be broken down into five steps. These include:

1. Identifying the opportunity

The process begins with the client approaching us about a tender opportunity they’re interested in.

2. Exploring the client’s needs

Next, we evaluate the client’s needs and goals. It’s important to do this early in the process, as this will inform the next step.

3. Determining if the opportunity is suitable

After we’ve assessed the client’s requirements and goals, we’ll look at the opportunity in more detail. This will involve researching the buyer, reading through the tender documents, and evaluating the client against the criteria. We’ll also perform a competitor analysis to see which other businesses are likely to be bidding for the tender. With this information, we can inform the client about whether we believe the opportunity is suitable or not.

4. Win themes, USPs and case studies

Next, we’ll work with the client to identify at least three win themes and their USPs. Basically, at this stage, we use the information gathered during capture management to assess why they’re better than their competition.

Using the client’s contract examples, we’ll also produce relevant case studies that will demonstrate their experience.

5. Produce a tender response

Finally, using all this information and with the client’s technical input, we can produce a winning tender response. 

What do you think is the most important part of the capture management process?  

The most important part of the process is the beginning stage, when the client identifies an opportunity. After all, this decision influences the rest of the process. It defines what the client needs to capture, audits what they already have, and helps design the capture remit.

In summary

Capture management gives suppliers an advantage when they tender for work. Ultimately, it gives them the best chance of achieving success with their tendering efforts. During capture management, our Bid Writers look at:

• Buyer objectives and requirements
• Client experience
• Competitor analysis
• USPs
• Win themes
• Solutions
• Risks.

The main benefits of capture management are:

• Increases win probability
• Enhances tender responses
• Reduced pressure
• More time
• High-level solutions.

Ideally, successful capture management will start as soon as the client identifies an opportunity. The earlier you can get into the process, the better!

How Hudson Succeed can help increase your chances of success

Still have questions about the capture management process? Why not call our Bid Writing Consultants? We’re always happy to help!

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – we can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. We’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. Our Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Need help searching for tenders?

Now it’s time to find a contract opportunity for your company!

You may be wondering where you can find a tender for your business. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads.

Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include: 

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert bid consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?

We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

Discover Elite

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. We’ll take your bid and give it a complete makeover. With professionally designed tender documents, you’re sure to make an impression on the buyer!

Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us to find out more!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:   

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Capture Management Expert Reveals All: Q&A With a Senior Bid Writer appeared first on Tender Consultants.